JD Program

As one of the nation’s leaders in legal education, the University of Minnesota Law School offers students an innovative curriculum, extensive experiential learning opportunities, and the opportunity to learn from world-class faculty, renowned scholars with expertise in business law, criminal justice, international law, human rights, government ethics, and health law, among others, who challenge and prepare students to become outstanding advocates, advisors, and leaders for the region, the nation, and the world. Minnesota Law has one of the nation’s largest and most distinguished clinical education programs, as well as cutting-edge interdisciplinary and legal research centers, and extensive doctrinal and legal practice skills courses.

The University of Minnesota is located in the Twin Cities, at the heart of the University of Minnesota-TC campus. The Twin Cities are an economic, political, and cultural hub, home to 17 Fortune 500 companies, more than 125 law firms with 10 or more attorneys, 8 major sports teams, the Minnesota State Capitol, as well as federal, state, and immigration courts. As part of one of the largest research institutions in the world, Minnesota Law offers robust opportunities for interdisciplinary study throughout the university.

Minnesota Law is distinguished by a rigorous and collegial culture that emphasizes collaboration, public service, problem-solving, and leadership. The talented and diverse student body represents more than 250 undergraduate institutions and hails from across the United States and many countries. Minnesota Law’s engaged alumni network spans every state and 75 countries around the globe.

Minnesota Law faculty have wide-ranging expertise that provides students with an academically rich and robust curriculum, integrating theory and doctrine with skills, ethics, and practice.

The University of Minnesota Law School faculty are prolific and influential scholars. Recently, members of the faculty have been awarded the American Law Institute’s Early Career Scholars Medal (awarded every other year to 1–2 outstanding law professors nationwide whose work has real world significance and the potential to reform the law), a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship, and multiple book awards. The faculty have also been asked to serve in wide-ranging national and international leadership roles, including the Administrative Conference of the United States; National Academies Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy; American Bar Association House of Delegates; the Council on Foreign Relations; and as the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism.

In addition to their acclaimed scholarship and service, faculty members have an equally energetic passion for teaching and mentoring, which has earned them the respect and appreciation of their students. With an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio, students have the ability to work closely alongside faculty, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Minnesota Law’s curriculum combines traditional doctrinal pedagogy with practical instruction. In the unique Law in Practice class, first-year students build on basic lawyering skills, doctrinal concepts, and ethical considerations to craft professional solutions to realistic problems. First-year students also have the opportunity to choose an elective from the rich curriculum in their second semester. Among the nation’s law schools, Minnesota has one of the smallest first-year writing section sizes (9–10 students) and is one of only a few schools with three years of required writing experiences. Upper-level students participate in a journal or competitive moot court.

Drawing on the strength of a being a part of a R1 research university, Minnesota Law offers qualified students dual or joint degrees with myriad graduate and professional schools. Especially noteworthy is the dual degree program in law, science, and technology, in which students can combine a JD with a PhD, MS, MA, MPH, MHA, or MD. Other dual-degree options include the JD/MBA and JD/MPP, although students can combine the JD with any graduate-level degree offered at the university. Students also have the opportunity to specialize their practice area by completing one of 12 concentrations, currently available in alternative dispute resolution, business law, civil litigation, criminal justice, environmental and energy law, family law, health law and bioethics, human rights law, immigration law, intellectual property and technology law, international law, and labor and employment law.

In addition to the JD program, the University of Minnesota Law School also offers a Master of Science in Patent Law Program and an LLM Program in Patent Law. For foreign lawyers, Minnesota Law offers LLM programs in American Law and Business Law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science program.

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Clinical Programs

First established in 1913, Minnesota Law was one of the first law schools in the country to combine practice and theory in a rigorous clinical program. Now, with more than 25 separate clinics, the Law School has one of the country’s largest and most active clinical programs, with students representing real clients under the close supervision of clinic faculty. More than 50 percent of the student body participates in law clinics, providing more than 100,000 hours of pro bono legal work for the Twin Cities community each year. In recent years, our clinics have successfully litigated cases before a number of federal and state courts, including the United States Supreme Court and Minnesota Supreme Court.

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Special Programs

The University of Minnesota Law School offers numerous public interest, academic, volunteer, and career opportunities through a wide variety of courses, clinics, centers, research institutes, and student organizations. In the Minnesota Law Public Interest Program, students work full-time during their third year of law school for a nonprofit or government agency and have a guaranteed, full-time, paid legal position with the same organization the year following graduation. This innovative model provides students with valuable legal training and a pipeline to employment. The Robina Public Interest Scholars Program supports students committed to careers in public interest through scholarship support, guaranteed summer funding, specialized counseling, loan repayment assistance, and support for post-graduate fellowships. The Minnesota Law Corporate Fellowship Program pairs corporations and recent graduates in full-time career building legal employment opportunities. Fellowships typically last one year and are designed to provide important professional development and legal skill advancement as the fellows continue along their career paths.

Minnesota Law is also home to major research institutes that enrich intellectual life, contribute to policy debate and formation, and provide research and employment opportunities for selected law students: the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, the Corporate Institute, the Human Rights Center, the Institute on Metropolitan Opportunity, the Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, the Institute on Law and Economics, and the Institute on Law and Rationality.

For students interested in international study, Minnesota Law hosts exchange programs with other law schools in many countries, including Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Uruguay. These programs enable students to study abroad and provide students at home the benefit of the international perspectives that exchange students bring to the classroom.

To support students throughout law school and in their transition to practice, the Minnesota Law offers a robust academic and bar success program. The program is designed to provide support from the first day of orientation through the last day of the bar exam. During the first year, each student is paired with a faculty member to help them navigate their transition to law school. First-year students also regularly attend sessions on core law school study topics through 1L Foundations. Students are also encouraged to participate in the Structured Study Group program and Structured Writing Group program, which provide regular opportunities to receive individualized guidance to develop legal study and writing skills.

Minnesota Law also has an extensive bar preparation and support program. The director of academic and bar success supports JD students at every stage of their law school experience to help them maximize future bar success. After graduation, students prepare for the bar exam and receive one-to-one counseling, workshops, and other individualized support. As a result, the Minnesota Law has consistently had the highest bar passage rate among schools in the state.

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Student Activities

Minnesota hosts four student-edited journals: Minnesota Law Review; Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality; Minnesota Journal of International Law; and Minnesota Journal of Law, Science & Technology. It also hosts a faculty-edited journal: Constitutional Commentary. Students receive academic credit for their journal work.

Students also receive credit for participation in Minnesota’s exceptionally broad moot court program: Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Moot Court, Environmental Law Moot Court, Intellectual Property Moot Court, International Moot Court, Maynard Pirsig and the ABA Moot Court, and the National Moot Court. Minnesota Law students consistently advance to national and international levels in moot court competitions.

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Student Life

Student Organizations

More than 35 separate student organizations cover the full spectrum of political viewpoints, social interests, intellectual pursuits, recreational activities, and musical theater aspirations.

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Career Placement and Bar Passage

Beginning in their first year, all students are paired with a counselor in the Career Center who remains with the student for the duration of the student’s law school experience, providing individualized career services tailored to the student’s specific career goals. In addition, career counselors engage students though interactive workshops and career development programs. The Career Center provides professional development training through a Professional Essentials Milestone program and by connecting students to bar associations and diversity programs. Students can also participate in one of four mentorship programs coordinated by the Career Center, as well as by participating in other national mentorship programs.

With more than 3,000 job postings on Symplicity, an online job board used by Minnesota Law, students have access to internships and post-graduate positions at law firms, corporations, public interest organizations, and government agencies around the country. Students may also participate in the on-campus recruitment program, off-campus recruitment programs, and annual job fairs. About 1,300 employers post jobs on Symplicity, more than 200 employers visit campus annually, and students have the opportunity to participate in 20+ National Career Fairs around the country. The Career Center hosts employer off-campus recruitment interview programs in the Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Top employment markets for graduates include California, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC. The Class of 2024 achieved a 95% employment rate in FT, LT JD required/advantage jobs: 48% of graduates were employed in private firms; 25% state and federal judicial clerkships; 13% in public interest positions; 7% in nonprofit and government jobs; and, 7% in business and industry.

Minnesota Law graduates also have a high bar passage rate. In July 2025, 97% of first time takers passed the Minnesota bar exam.

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Admission Decisions: Beyond the Numbers

In order to enroll a highly qualified, diverse class each year, the Admissions Committee conducts a holistic review of each applicants' materials and considers factors such as student engagement and leadership, professional experience, writing ability, community service, and references.

Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis, and priority consideration for scholarship awards is February 1. For cost of attendance and scholarship award details, please see our ABA 509.

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